That was freaky fast. Less than a week after comin' within $40-mil of Molson Coors (TAP) mkt cap (see Jul 10 issue of sibling pub INSIGHTS Express), Boston Beer (SAM) stock surged double-digits yet again to $640+ per share and $7.8 bil mkt cap as mkts closed yesterday. So SAM officially surpassed TAP in mkt cap. A truly impressive feat, again considering it sold just ~11% of TAP volume in US last yr. Today, TAP moved up to $36.16/share and $7.9 bil mkt cap at presstime, while SAM dipped to about $631 and TAP moved up north of $36. But right now, SAM's a rocket ship that doesn't appear to be slowin' down, while TAP down 32% this yr and relatively stagnant recently. (A version of this article also appeared in INSIGHTS Express.)

Another stereotype of craft drinkers holds true in Brewers Assn/Nielsen survey results shared today: they're promiscuous folks who drink lots of brands and all sorts of alc bevs. And the most frequent craft drinkers are the most likely to drink across brands and bev types more frequently. Nielsen has found this yr after yr and 2020 results no different. Over a quarter of weekly craft drinkers and 16% of all craft drinkers say they buy 5+ craft brands in a typical month, both measures up solidly compared to the 2019 survey. Adults age 21-44 are also more likely than the average craft drinker to drink 5+ brands in a month.

Aftershock of Constellation distrib terminations in Calif continues to add new ripples that change CA distribution landscape. Heimark Distributing, LLC, agreed to sell Triangle Dist to Anheuser Busch "in exchange for divesting a portion of the AB-owned Riverside distribution operation to Heimark," cos announced. This makes transaction "net neutral," essentially swapping one territory for another, per release. And Heimark will roll new territory into its other distrib arm, Heimark Distributing (more details in today's INSIGHTS Express).

What a year it's been… and it's only halfway over. To help make sense of the seismic shifts in the US beer and beverage industries, join us for Beer & Beyond at the Half 2020, the latest Beer Insights webinar, coming Wednesday, August 12 at 1pm ET. In addition to an industry overview, BMI prexy and publisher Benj Steinman will present a deep dive on the hard seltzer segment, and special guest Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business INSIGHTS, will highlight opportunities for both distribs and suppliers amid the increasing cross-pollination between beer and non-alc bevs. The insight and perspective they offer

Wisc-based Dave's Brew Farm, is for sale as turnkey operation with asking price of $450K, reported Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This is 2d time the brewery is up for sale, first posting it for sale in 2014 to no avail, only comin' across "dreamers and tire-kickers" as potential buyers. But this time founder David Anderson let his brewery license expire, and is asking for cash up front from someone with "brewery experience." He's also considering selling off the equipment separately, paper noted.

More twists and turns before Anheuser Busch able to finalize proposed acquisition of Craft Brew Alliance. A CBA shareholder filed lawsuit seeking the difference between purchase price announced last Nov and higher price AB declined to pay just 2.5 mos earlier, Portland Biz Journal reported. "Anheuser-Busch embarked on a deliberate course of conduct to stymie CBA's growth, which would ultimately allow Anheuser-Busch to purchase CBA at a discount of approximately $107 million," alleges plaintiff Tim Malloy, who seeks class action status on behalf of CBA shareholders. He claims AB's "intentional acts" led to "artificially lowered" stock price for CBA. Recall, co's BREW stock priced around $13-14/share just before AB declined to acquire the near 69% of CBA it didn't already own for predetermined price of $24.50/share, last Aug. CBA stock dropped to near $10/share before falling to low of just over $7 right before AB and CBA struck deal at $16.50/share in early Nov. (This article appreared yesterday in INSIGHTS Express.)

Stone Brewing purposely made "nationwide 'mishap'" of sending out upside-down bottle labels across the country as part of its "first-ever advertising campaign" dubbed "Leave No Stone Unturned." First upside-down labels began rolling out nationally mid-Jun with "no explanation, intentionally catching fans off guard," and co now plans to keep the labels "upturned for the foreseeable future," it announced yesterday. Campaign also includes "major outdoor elements like billboards and wallscapes" on top of digital and social channels, including billboard-esque one-liners like: "People say we brew too many IPAs. So here's another one." And "they said gluten-reduced beer couldn't taste delicious. We didn't listen." It's all "designed to shine light on all the mistakes made to-date," that helped Stone better itself along the way while seeking a unique way to capture consumers' attention, sez co.

Founders is gettin' into the 4pk 16oz can game with flagship All Day IPA and new Unraveled hazy IPA, co announced today. These packs will launch in Sep, only available in Great Lakes and East Coast regions for starters. Majority of All Day IPA volume sold in 15pk 12oz cans, driving total brand pricing to avg of just $28.76 per case in natl IRI data. So 4pks could help balance that a bit. Unraveled IPA is entering package format that's widespread among smaller/local hazy IPAs sold across the country. Recall, Unraveled IPA is among top-15 new craft brands in IRI thru Jun 21 (see Jul 2 issue), sold at $39/case on avg.

The new round of on-premise shutdowns aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19 has brewers in Florida looking once more at gaining privilege to self distribute their own beer. "The Covid-19 crisis has really highlighted the (distribution) issue as (small, craft) brewers are suffering dramatically," Rob Regan, director of the Florida Brewers Guild told a writer for Treasure Coast Newspapers. Claiming the current regulatory system "favors one tier more than others," he believes "the time for reform is long overdue." Brewers cited in article so far keeping up with to-go sales and modest shipments to wholesalers. But they're also interested in potential sales oppys by controlling distribution in house. State rep from Vero Beach seeks "common ground" with distributor advocates, looking to "facilitate that conversation," she told paper. FL among 15 states that bar self-distribution, the kind of "market access issue" that's become all the more acute in time of coronavirus and expected to be focus of new Brewers Assn genl counsel Marc Sorini, as org's prexy/CEO Bob Pease told us last wk.